Saffir

^ Oh, wow, I had no idea about that! That's so cool! Thank you for telling me! :)

I found out about Princess's military OBC benefit after I'd booked, and I looked very eagerly to see the details. I was dismayed that my service didn't actually seem to fall under any of their categories -- I was medically discharged after 11 months of active-duty service outside of a war zone. Still, I decided to submit my application and my DD214 within a very polite email explaining my service history. Nothing to lose but a little of my time, right?

Turns out I was right! I looked at my Princess Personalizer today and saw the full military credit had been applied to my account! There was no email response, but that's quite all right.

So the message here is that even if your service history doesn't quite fit Princess's categories, give it a try. You might be pleasantly surprised by the outcome. :) And I hear that Princess keeps the information on file for all of your future cruises, too!

These are great! Thanks for taking the time to write this up. I'm one of those people who likes knowing as much as possible before big events, so I really enjoyed the tips. Thanks again!

I imagine it was something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Over-Door-Clear-Organizer-Storage/dp/B000IXOH7G

For the price, I think it's a brilliant idea. It's also easily folded up, so it shouldn't take up too much luggage space. I plan to bring mine next month. :)

I haven't been on my first cruise yet, but one tip that I got that I really, really liked was to bring your favorite flavored coffee creamer with you and keep it in your fridge. The regular coffee is free, and if you're content enough with the flavored creamer, you won't have to spend money on specialty coffee! Of course, I imagine this is easier to do if you're not flying into your port city.

Loving all this info! Please keep the updates coming! I'll be on the Crown in less than two months and I'm really excited. :D

Quick question on the specialty restaurants -- it looks like there is a cover charge of $25. Does that take care of your food and non-specialty drinks? I'd guess that alcohol and gratuities aren't included in that cover charge.